Walking Lessons
by writestories315
Summary: Just read to find out.


Title - Walking Lessons

Author name - Carol 

E-mail - writestories315@yahoo.com  
Rating - G

Spoilers - Second Sight  
Disclaimer - "Should I start laughing now or wait?" I own nothing nor do I admit to owning anything.

Summary - Just read to find out.

Authors Note - The song used is 'Walk A Little Straighter' by Billy Currington.

*****************************************************

"Hey Mac.  What's in this box?"  Harm yelled from the walk-in-closet.

Mac looked at the doorway of the closet. "Use your x-ray vision, Superman."

"What?"  Harm yelled back.

Mac walked to the doorway. "Nothing, let me see it."

Harm handed her the box as he went to attack another pile of things in the crowded space.  She walked over to the bed and slowly lifted the lid to reveal old mementos from her childhood.  She looked carefully at the items in the box.  The first thing which caught her attention was a slightly ragged crayon drawing.  She traced the faded colors as a memory played in her head.

FLASHBACK

October 15, 1973

3:17 PM

Yuma, Arizona

"Momma, look what I drew," five year old Sarah said as she held a piece of paper out to her mother.

"It's beautiful,"  Deanne lovingly said as she looked over the picture.

Sarah pointed to the figures in the drawing. "It's you, me, and Daddy.  We're at the zoo. Can we go to the zoo tomorrow?"  

"You'll have to ask your father."

"Okay,"  Sarah smiled.  

10:45 PM

**********************************__

_I remember lookin' up to look up to him.  
An' I remember, most the time he wasn't there._

**********************************

Deanne walked into the living room to finish straightening up before Joe arrived home from work.  She picked up Sarah's toys and fluffed the pillow on Joe's chair before she turned to the couch.  As she looked at the couch she smiled and watched her daughter sleep, holding the drawing she showed off earlier.

"Sarah, honey wake up." Deanne lightly shook Sarah's arm till her dark brown eyes opened.

"Is Daddy home, Momma?"  

Deanne bit her lip. "Not yet honey.  Lets get you to bed."

Sarah yawned. "But I need to ask Daddy about the zoo."

"You'll have to ask him tomorrow.  It's past your bed time."

"Okay, Momma."  Sarah stood up from the couch and started to walk out of the room.  Before she left the room she placed the drawing in Joe's chair.

Deanne watched her daughter and felt a twinge of sadness. "I'll be up in a few minutes to tuck you in."

"Okay,"  Sarah yawned as she started up the stairs.

PRESENT DAY

Mac set the page down and looked through the box.  She came across an award for honor roll with a coupon for McDonald's still attached to it.  

FLASHBACK

January 28, 1976

8:34 PM 

Yuma, Arizona

**********************************

_I'd be waitin' at the door when he got home at night.  
He'd pass me by to go pass out in his chair._

**********************************

Sarah stood by the door as soon as she heard the car pull into the driveway.  She clutched the award in her hands along with the coupon.  Joe slowly turned the knob and stumbled into the house.

"Daddy.  Daddy. Look what I got from school.  I got honor roll, Daddy.  Are you proud of me?"  Sarah exclaimed happily.

Joe didn't say anything, he didn't even acknowledge her.  He walked over to his chair and sat down.  He pulled the lever on the chair, causing it to recline.  Sarah walked over to the chair and proudly held her award out.  "Look, Daddy."

When she didn't hear anything from her father she lowered the award and looked at him.  He was asleep.

Deanne walked into the room. "Sarah, you know to leave your father alone when he comes home."

"I know, I wanted to show Daddy my award," she dejectedly stated.

"He'll see it later.  I know he'll be so proud of you and then he'll take you out to McDonald's so you can use your coupon,"  Deanne explained before she walked back into the kitchen.

PRESENT DAY

Mac set the award to the side and continued looking through the box.  Inside she came across more awards for honor roll, good citizenship, spelling bee, and track team participation.  She smiled when she found a picture of her in the local paper for winning the science fair.  

Her fingers slowly traced some old photos that were mixed in with the mementos.  Some were of people from her past and a few of her parents.  She pulled one out and closely examined it.  It was of her and her father standing in front of a tree.

**********************************

_An' I'd sing: "Walk a little straighter, Daddy,  
"You're swayin', side to side.  
"Your footsteps make me dizzy,  
"And no matter how I try,  
"I keep trippin' an' stumblin'.  
"If you'd look down here, you'd see:  
"Walk a little straighter, Daddy,  
"You're leading me."_

**********************************

FLASHBACK

August 3, 1976

10:55 AM

Yuma, Arizona

"Take my hand, Sarah,"  Joe said as they started to cross the busy street.

Sarah placed her small, thin hand in her father's and smiled at his gentle, warm touch.  "Okay, Daddy."

Sarah and Joe proceeded to cross the street.  Sarah's little legs tried their hardest to keep up with Joe's longer strides.  But not only was the length of his strides a problem, his steps were a problem.

"Daddy, you're swaying,"  Sarah said as she stumbled over her feet.

Joe pulled on her hand to make her walk faster. "We need to hurry up.  Walk faster."

"I'm trying, Daddy, just walk a little straighter."

PRESENT DAY

Mac sighed heavily as she placed the picture into the pile next to her.  She closed her eyes for a second as she remembered watching her father walk.  He always stumbled or walked into things.  She didn't know when he walked worst, when he was drunk or when he needed a drink.

She reopened her eyes and went through the box again. She pulled out her honor cord and tassel from high school graduation.  It was hard for her to believe even though she was drinking heavily by her senior year in high school she held high honors with her grades.  She carefully looked at the cord which told her and others of her achievement.   She placed the cord to the side and took the tassel into her hands. The thin rope-like strands slid gently through her fingers.  

FLASHBACK

June 6, 1985

7:13 PM

Yuma, Arizona

"Big party at Tony's.  Ya coming?"  

"Sure,"  Sarah answered the boy next to her as she looked around the gym to see if her father even came.

The boy followed her gaze. "You think he came?"

"I don't know, Eddie, we haven't talked since I left."  

Eddie didn't say anything as he helped her look through the crowd.  "Is that him?"

**********************************

_He stumbled in the gym on graduation day.  
An' I couldn't help but feel so ashamed_

**********************************

Sarah quickly looked over to where her friend was pointing.  She watched as Joe stumbled into the gym.  He bumped into four people and took a seat.

"Well, the drunk is here to see his daughter the drunk graduate,"  a voice behind Sarah snidely remarked as students in the section laughed and added their own comments on this fact.

Eddie looked at Sarah as she slouched and blushed in embarrassment.  He turned to look at the voice who said the comment.  "Hey, Cindy, do you have honors cords?"

"No, Eddie, I don't,"  Cindy fluffed her hair.

"Oh, that's right, the only reason your finally graduating is because you had sex with the vice principal,"  Eddie stated loud enough for the section of students around them to hear. 

The students suddenly started talking about this newest bit of information on Cindy and forgot about Sarah.  Eddie turned and looked at Sarah. "Don't let her get to you."

"I'm not,"  Sarah said as she sat up straight.__

8:15 PM 

Sarah sat in her seat as her classmates' names were being called.  She looked to see Joe in his seat, she watched as his hands shook.  As the name Lytal was called Joe stood up and moved towards the nearest door.  He swayed on his feet and stumbled into another parent.

**********************************

_An' I wasn't surprised a bit when he didn't stay,  
He stumbled out before they called my name._

**********************************

"MacDonald, Edward," Rang through the gym as Joe walked out the door.

"MacKenzie, Sarah."  Sarah stood up and watched as the outer door closed taking her father away from her moment.  She carefully walked towards the center of the stage.  'Don't trip.  Don't sway.  Don't stumble.  Don't be like Dad,'  her thoughts repeated through her head.

**********************************

_An' I thought: "Walk a little straighter, Daddy,  
"You're swayin', side to side.  
"It's not just me who's watching,  
"You've caught everybody's eye.  
"And you're trippin' an' stumblin',  
"And even though I've turned eighteen,  
"Walk a little straighter, Daddy,  
"You're still leading me."_

**********************************

PRESENT DAY

The last item in the box was her father's wallet, the one Father Gennaro gave her in California.  She opened it slowly and looked at his driver's license.  His face was the same one that haunted her during her childhood.  That face helped lead to some bad decisions on her part.  It swayed her to drink.  The one that helped her stumble through everything.  But in all the same face she wanted to kiss good night as a child.  The same face that taught her how to walk as a toddler.  The same face of a man who did try his hardest in his own dysfunctional way to help her.

**********************************

_The old man's still like he always was,  
But I love him anyway._

**********************************

The loving face of a father who could be seen through all his mistakes.  The face of man who tried to help her grow into the woman she was.  The face of a man who was her father and would always be a part of her.

Mac placed the wallet and the rest of the items into the box as Harm walked over to the bed.  "Is that a keeper?"

Mac placed the lid on the box. "Yeah, it's some personal stuff."

Harm didn't question her as he lifted the box and carried it back into the closet.  He placed the box on the shelf above their uniforms and wondered to himself about its contents.

He walked back into the bedroom to find Mac staring at a photo.  He crawled onto the bed and moved behind her to look over her shoulder.  A smile crossed his face as he stated. "That is your favorite picture."

"It's our family."  Mac's fingers traced over the faces of their children Andy, Elizabeth, and Tommy.

Harm moved a hand down to her round belly. "You'll have to get a new favorite photo when this one joins us."

Mac smiled at her husband as a tear fell from her eye. "I will."

9:01 PM

Mac stood in the living room as Harm put the kids to bed.  She straightened the photo of Joe MacKenzie that hung on the wall. "Thanks for leading me, Dad."

**********************************_  
If I've learned one thing from him,  
It's my kids will never have to sing:_

_"Walk a little straighter, Daddy,  
"You're swayin', side to side.  
"Your footsteps make me dizzy,  
"And no matter how I try,  
"I keep trippin' an' stumblin'.  
"If you'd look down here, you'd see:  
"Walk a little straighter, Daddy,  
"You're leading me."_

**********************************

"Hey, Mac.  I could use some help,"  Harm distressingly called as their two oldest children laughed in the background.

Mac chuckled at his voice.  She turned and watched her feet as she walked carefully and in straight formation upstairs to rescue her husband from the bedtime games the kids liked to play.  

**********************************

_"Yeah, walk a little straighter, Daddy,  
"You're leading me."_

**********************************

THE END


End file.
